Canon FTB

CANON FTB review (by MFLenses member cooltouch)

I owned a couple of cameras before I bought an FTb, but it wasn't until I began to use my "new" FTb that I really started learning the craft of photography. All too soon thereafter, my modern, automatic-everything cameras lay forgotten, accumulating little more than dust. Why was this, you may be wondering. 
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Carl Zeiss Jena Triotar 135mm f4 Lens Review

People often think "100+ elements" produce better shoots and they are reject triplets, pretty wrong... this lens is sharp, lightweight and bokeh is nice, nice. To get maximum performance certainly need great daylight, in proper light lens is wonderful.

I like to use Triotars also as ultimate portrait lens. In shade where is contrast pretty weak this lens is  easily create hi-key feeling beautiful shoots.  Lens available in Exakta and M42 mount , with RED T marked and without that. Also may you find in export version AUS JENA or just T , due legal battle in past between eastern and western company of Zeiss.

 Focus can be very smooth or dry depend of actual stage of lens, if dry worth to re-lube it. Lenses are usually fine due construction , front lens is protected well, rear glass deep inside in lens tube. 

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Helios 44 58mm f2 M42 MC lens review

A well known M42 mount lens from the former Soviet Union which performs very well optically. It has a reputation for excellent build quality, and is available in many variants. Models with an A/M switch make this lens easy to use on almost any camera. Many people have started to use manual focus lenses again because they've found a cheap Helios in a local shop or on the Internet, and its quality has amazed them.

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Kiron 105mm f/2.8 macro 1:1 Lens Review

The Kiron 105mm f/2.8 macro 1:1 is one of the finest macro lens ever made. It Looks like a pretty well built lens, I have never heard any negative feedback about this lens, I was so happy when I got it. It has legendary reputation and is quite rare.Anyone in their right mind would not sell it. It has excellent focusing mechanism, that finds correct focus easily. This lens renders razor sharp images with vivid colors and has a very nice bokeh.

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FED camera

Felix Edmundovich Dzerjinski (1877-1926) is FED or at least his initials are. The Camera born of the Leica 1 camera of the 1920s the Russian FED appeared about 1933 to the public this even though the Official date was July 1927. The Leica 1 was produced but more as a proto-type than production camera several are still around but in museums. As Leica was producing a Leica model 2 so was Russia and would it would appear as the FED 1 Fedka with close to Âľ of a million produced.  FED Camera Gallery
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Carl Zeiss Jena Flektogon 50mm f4

A sparkling diamond from Carl Zeiss Jena - this is not only a beautiful looking lens, it also performs optically very well. This is the digital age, but if you give it a try on medium format slides you'll be rewarded with eye-opening results. It is compatible with Pentacon Six, Praktisix, Kiev 60, Mamiya 645, Pentax 645 and Contax 645 cameras using a single adapter ring easily available on Ebay. I did try to use it on a 35mm DSLR, but it's somewhat of a silly idea, as a lens as big and heavy as this doesn't give any extra performance. Some people use it on 35mm cameras with a tilt shift adapter, something I haven't tried yet although it sounds interesting. The lens is uncommon but not particularly rare. Mechanically it is very well built; excellent construction and top of the line optical performance. I have all the other versions of this lens, they are also excellent performers.
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Fixing bellow on folder cameras

I found a Mamiya 6 folding 6x6 RF camera at a camera show for $40.  Shutter working and Zuiko
75/3.5 (4 element) lens in clean condition.  Shutter speeds to 1/500.  I will show more of the camera
when I finish working on it.

The main problem:  a rather large hole in the bellows:

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Asahi Pentax SMC Takumar 85mm f/1.8 Lens Review

Well know lens, many people says the best lens in  Asahi  Pentax product line.color rendering, sharpness, "bokeh" just excellent. SMC Takumar 1.8/85mm very well built mechanically, real competitor of another famous lens: Carl Zeiss Jena Pancolar 1.8/80mm. Perform well as close-up and portrait lens.This lens have full aperture meter coupling (for Spotmatic-F, ES full aperture metering system).It has a little tricky Auto-Manual switch you can switch to any position if lens mounted on right Asahi film camera.In any other situation to change mode need to push a little button on the mount surface.Almost every maker best lenses are in this focal length I have many of them like Carl Zeiss Jena Biotar 75mm f1.5, Carl Zeiss Jena Pancolar 80mm f1.8, Nikon-Nikkor-H 85mm f1.8, Helios-40 85mm f1.5.They have not much quality difference, but each lens has own personality. This Super-Multi-Coated Takumar has the best out focus background "bokeh" from all of them. Biotar 75mm f1.5 the best wide-open performer you can't see any visible difference lens is stopped down or not in sharpness. I have the latest version of Takumar 85mm f1.8 with K-bajonett also, M42 version is significantly better as the price shows on the market.
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Tamron SP 350mm f5.6 06B mirror lens

Very sharp, very compact lens. It has amazing colors and details if you count this is a 350mm long lens. I don't know better equipment to make candid shoots , excellent working tool for photo journalist too. It has fixed aperture as common at all mirror lenses. It has only one weakness very rare hard to get it and quiet expensive due rarity and quality. It has several filters what you can mount on rare side.

 

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Topcon RE Auto Topcor f1.8 58mm

It is the general concensus that all 50mm 'normal' lenses are very good, and I would agree with that, but there are a few that are special and this is one of them. It has everything, extreme sharpness, excellent contrast and microcontrast, rich vibrant colours, smooth bokeh, it just paints beautiful images with exceptional quality. Amazing for a 1960s lens, I directly compared it to my CZJ Biotar 2/58 of the same age and the Topcor blows it away, in fact, the Topcor can compete with much later and more well known top lenses such as the Contax Planar 1.7/50 and Leica Summicron-R 2/50. 

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Konica FC-1 Camera Review

One of my favourite film camera, perhaps favourite. Why ? Inexpensive, light weight, trustworthy in all situation. Battery life keep forever , works with alkaline batteries. Film loading can't be better, simple stunning. I bring this camera to everywhere for shoot, for light meter to other older cameras without meter. I use it also as a distance meter if I forgot at home external range finders. I am simple amazed.
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